A lorry driver was killed after a tanker carrying around 1,000 litres of sulphuric acid plunged into a pit near Allagadda on a National Highway in Andhra Pradesh’s Nandyal district, triggering a leakage-control operation by police and fire personnel.
The deceased was identified as Vishweshwar Reddy. According to preliminary information reported by Deccan Chronicle, the driver may have dozed off while driving, causing the tanker to lose control and leave the road. The report did not establish the cause conclusively.
The tanker was transporting sulphuric acid from a chemical factory in Kurnool to Proddatur when the crash occurred. The chemical leaked from the damaged tanker after it fell into the pit, raising concern in the surrounding area because sulphuric acid is a corrosive industrial chemical that requires controlled handling during transport and after a road accident.
Police and fire personnel reached the site after the crash and took measures to control the leakage. The immediate response focused on containing the spill and managing the risks around the tanker. The supplied report did not provide details about the extent of the affected area, whether any other person was injured, or whether traffic on the highway was disrupted.
The incident highlights the operational risks associated with transporting industrial chemicals on public roads. A crash involving a tanker is not limited to the vehicle and its occupants: leakage can create hazards for other road users, nearby communities and emergency responders. The scale of the risk depends on the chemical involved, the condition of the container, the location of the crash and the speed and capability of the response.
In this case, the tanker was carrying a substantial quantity of sulphuric acid between two districts in Andhra Pradesh. The movement formed part of a supply chain linking a chemical factory in Kurnool with Proddatur, but the available report did not identify the company operating the tanker, the vehicle’s safety equipment, or the authorities responsible for overseeing the consignment.
The report also did not state whether the tanker had been fully secured, whether the driver had received relief during the journey, or whether an inspection would examine the vehicle and the circumstances preceding the crash. Those details would be relevant to establishing whether the incident resulted solely from the reported loss of control or involved additional transport-safety factors.
Further details were awaited as police and fire personnel continued measures to control the leakage. The next official update is expected to clarify the condition of the tanker, the status of the chemical spill and the findings of the authorities’ initial investigation.
